# What a knot strength claim requires

> A knot strength percentage is only comparable when the line, the method and the sample size travel with it. What to ask for.

Source: https://luressource.com/sourcing-playbook/what-a-knot-strength-claim-requires/

Direct answer. A knot strength figure is a claim about a line, a knot and a test method together, and it is not comparable to another figure unless all three travel with it. A percentage quoted without the line it was tied in, the way the load was applied and the number of samples cannot be checked and cannot be compared. Our own accessory sample states none of the three fields a line is bought on, which is why this site publishes no knot strength figure at all. Key facts. 1) A knot strength figure describes a line, a knot and a test method together, not a knot on its own. 2) Without the line, the loading method and the number of samples, the figure cannot be checked or compared. 3) Our accessory sample states no breaking strain, PE rating or diameter, so no knot figure could be derived from it. 4) This site publishes no knot strength number for that reason, and records the gap instead. Frequently asked questions. Q: Why does this site not publish a knot strength table? A: Because we cannot derive one from our own sample. Our three accessory listings state no breaking strain, PE rating or diameter, and a knot figure is a percentage of a line's strength. Publishing a table sourced from elsewhere would be a claim rather than a record, and our editorial rules put that outside what this column prints. Q: What makes two knot strength figures comparable? A: The same line, the same loading method and the same sample size. Knot strength depends on line construction and diameter as much as on the knot itself, and a slow steady pull and a sharp shock load produce different numbers from the same knot and the same line. Q: What should a buyer ask a factory for? A: The line the figure was tied in, stated by breaking strain, PE rating and diameter; the loading method and rate; the number of samples tested; and whether the figure is a mean or a minimum. A supplier who can answer all four is working from a controlled test. One who cannot is repeating a number. Q: Is a knot a product or a technique? A: Both, and the distinction matters in an order. The knot is a technique the angler performs. What a factory can control is the diameter consistency, the surface coating and the spooling of the line, which is what decides how repeatable a knot is on that line. So a knot requirement becomes a line specification. Q: Where does that leave the buyer? A: Asking for line fields first. If the line is specified by breaking strain, PE rating, diameter and coating, then a knot result on that line is meaningful and can be reproduced. If the line is not specified, no knot figure on it means anything. Sources (3). 1) The accessory sample that states none of the three line fields — /opportunities/fishing-accessory-suppliers-china/ 2) What a factory QC record should contain — /sourcing-playbook/what-a-factory-qc-record-should-contain/ 3) Our editorial rules on claims and records — /opportunities/editorial-rules/ This site does not publish a knot strength table. This page explains why, and what would have to travel with such a number before we would. A percentage of what A knot strength figure is expressed as a proportion of the line's own strength. That makes it a statement about three things at once: the line, the knot and the way the load was applied. Change the line and the figure moves, because a knot bites differently into a stiff coated braid than into a soft one. Change the loading and the figure moves again, because a slow steady pull and a sharp shock load produce different results from the same knot. Change the sample size and the figure stops meaning anything in particular. So a number quoted alone is not a weak claim, it is an uncheckable one. A knot strength figure is a percentage, and the percentage needs a line under it. Our own sample states no breaking strain, so there is no base to take one from. Why we publish none Our accessory sample holds three listings: two braided lines and a lure box. Neither line listing states breaking strain, PE rating or diameter, and neither states the spool length. A knot figure is a percentage of a line's strength. With no strength recorded, there is no base to take a percentage of. Publishing a table sourced from somewhere else would be a claim rather than a record, and this column publishes records. We record the gap instead. It is more useful to a buyer than a number they cannot check. What has to travel with the figure If a supplier offers a knot strength figure, four things have to come with it before it can be used: The line. Stated by breaking strain, PE rating and diameter, because the figure is a property of that line as much as of the knot. The loading method and rate. Steady pull or shock load, and how fast. The number of samples. A single tie is an anecdote. Whether it is a mean or a minimum. The two answer different questions, and a buyer designing for a failure point wants the second. Why this lands on the line specification The knot itself is a technique, performed by the angler, and a factory does not control it. What a factory controls is the input: diameter consistency, coating and spooling. Those three decide how repeatable a knot is on a given line. A line whose diameter varies along its length will produce knots that break at different loads from one cast to the next, and no knot figure will predict that. So a knot requirement, written properly, is a line specification. It asks for a controlled diameter with a stated tolerance, a stated coating, and a spooling that does not put a twist into the line before it is used. How to use this in an order Ask for the line fields first. If breaking strain, PE rating, diameter and coating are on the sheet, then any knot result taken on that line is meaningful and can be reproduced by the next person who ties it. If those fields are absent, a knot figure on top of them adds nothing, because there is nothing for it to be a percentage of. Send a specification Read the companion guide on line class